That’s the curious case of left-winger Sven Baertschi, who is one of the most talented youngsters in the Calgary Flames’ organization but isn’t doing enough to impress his boss, Bob Hartley, and was a healthy scratch for the second straight outing — and third time this season — in Thursday’s 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues at Scottrade Center.

“It rattles me. It pisses me off, to be honest,” Baertschi said after Thursday’s morning skate. “You want to be out there. You want to help the team win. When you’re not out there, you just sit around and watch the game. It sucks.”

The side-story of this four-game road-trip, which concludes with Friday’s meeting with the Colorado Avalanche in the Mile High City, has been Hartley’s decision to leave the 21-year-old left-winger out of his lineup in Minnesota and again in St. Louis.

In defence of Baertschi, it’s easy to second-guess the logic of sitting a guy with offensive upside when the Flames have been outscored by a 13-4 count in the three games that he has been scratched this season.

In defence of Hartley, Baertschi has to produce. The Flames’ first-rounder from the 2011 NHL Draft has just one goal and four assists in 13 dates this fall, not a stat-line that screams ‘Keep me in, coach!’

“You have to find a way as an athlete to be in the lineup,” Hartley said. “We’re with him. The other day, I sat for probably 45 minutes prior to the Minnesota game with him. We showed him what we need. We showed him what he’s doing.”

It’s been a frustrating stretch for Baertschi, but the Swiss youngster is grateful for the support he’s received from fans of the team.